Shravasti district
Shravasti District (Hindi:श्रावस्ती) is one of the districts of the Uttar Pradesh state of India and Bhinga town is district headquarter. Shravasti district is a part of Devipatan Division. According to Government of India, the district Shravasti is one of the Minority Concentrated District in India on the basis of the 2001 census data on population, socio-economic indicators and basic amenities indicators.http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=28770 History Shravasti, the north-eastern town of Uttar Pradesh, is located near the West Rapti River. This town is closely associated with the life of Gautama Buddha, who is believed to have spent 24 Chaturmases here. Age-old stupas, majestic viharas and several temples near the village of "Sahet-Mahet" establish Buddha's association with Shravasti. It is being said that the mythological king Sravast founded this town. Shravasti was the capital of the Kosala Kingdom during 6th century BC to 6th century AD. This prosperous trading center was well known for its religious associations. Sobhanath temple is believed to be the birthplace of the Tirthankara Sambhavanath in Jainism, making Shravasti an important center for Jains. According to Nagarjuna, the city had a population of 900,000 in 5th century BCE and it even overshadowed Magadha's capital, Rajgir. As mentioned in the 'Bruhatkalpa' and various Kalpas of the fourteenth century, the name of the city was Mahid. There are subsequent mentions showing that the name of this city was Sahet-Mahet. It is also mentioned that a vast fort covered this city in which there were many temples having idols of Devkulikas. Today a great rampart of earth and brick surrounds this city. During excavation in 'Sahet-Mahet' near Shravasti City, many ancient idols and inscriptions were found. They are now kept in museums of Mathura and Lucknow. At present, the archaeological department of the Indian Government is doing excavation to perform allied research. Geography Shravasti -- part of historic Awadh -- was carved out from Gonda district on the south and Bahraich on the west. Shrawasti also borders Balrampur on the east, and Nepal's districts Dang-Deukhuri to the northeast and Banke to the northwest. Shravasti district headquarters Bhinga is about 150 kilometres from Lucknow the state capital. Economy In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Shravasti one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). Demographics According to the 2011 census Shravasti district has a population of 1,114,615, roughly equal to the nation of Cyprus or the US state of Rhode Island. This gives it a ranking of 414th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was -5.25 %. Shrawasti has a sex ratio of 875 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 49.13 %. Education With a literacy rate of 34.2 per cent, it had the lowest literacy rate amongst districts in Uttar Pradesh. References External links Category:Districts of Uttar Pradesh Category:Shravasti district Category:Minority Concentrated Districts in India